Deliciously creamy, nutty, and with a real umami flavor, our tahini pasta is the perfect weeknight meal. We’ve been making this creamy vegan pasta dish for many years, playing around with flavors and textures and we think we’ve created the perfect pasta dish!
Why you’ll love this creamy garlic tahini pasta dish
- Not only is it delicious, it’s quick and easy to make too, it’ll be on your table in less than 25 minutes!
- The mushrooms and plant-based bacon add a real umami kick to it.
- It’s 100% vegetarian and vegan.
What is tahini made of?
There’s a good chance that when you think of tahini, you think of hummus, and you’d be right.
It’s a key ingredient for hummus. But this Middle Eastern condiment is so much more flexible than just making hummus.
Tahini is a smooth paste that is made from sesame that is toasted and ground. And these ground sesame seeds do taste good!
You’ll find it in so many Middle Eastern dips, dressings, and sauces. We love tahini!
Is this tahini sauce vegan?
Most definitely, our yummy lemon tahini pasta creamy sauce is 100% vegan friendly and it’s also gluten-free also.
What brand of tahini is best?
The difference in tahini is quite dramatic, we would advise that you buy if you can, tahini that comes from the Middle East. In our opinion, it’s the best.
What pasta is best for this?
We’ve used linguini in our tahini pasta dish but you could use pretty much any pasta you enjoy, so use your favorite pasta.
There is gluten-free pasta if you prefer to cook with this, just check the packet before you use it.
If you want to steer away completely from pasta, then why not consider using courgette or zucchini noodles? Chickpea pasta and lentil pasta are also very good choices and would be perfect in this creamy tahini sauce.
What vegetables should I use?
We’ve used red peppers or bell peppers, mushrooms, and peas but you could use whatever you have to hand.
Spinach, broccoli, or any other of your favorite veggies will also work.
Is tahini nut free?
Tahini is usually nut-free but it’s quite common for people with nut allergies to also be allergic to sesame seeds.
Can I spice the tahini pasta sauce up?
Yes, you most certainly can! If you like a little spice in your food, then the easy way is to add dried chili flakes into the tahini pasta sauce.
Once the tahini pasta is cooked and plated up ready to serve, instead of garnishing it with sesame seeds, you could garnish it with sriracha sauce for an extra spice kick!
Fresh lemon vs bottled lemon juice
Our lemon tahini sauce needs fresh lemon juice, you just can’t beat the taste of fresh lemon juice.
If you’re going to make lemon tahini sauce then use the freshest of ingredients and you’ll be rewarded with delicious flavors.
Can I make this ahead?
You can make the lemon tahini sauce ahead, that’s not a problem. Just keep it in the fridge in an airtight container and it will keep for 3 days.
In fact, it’s worth making a double batch, there will be no leftovers as this pasta sauce is so delicious but tastes wonderful when poured onto a plate of roasted vegetables.
How to make tahini pasta with step-by-step instructions?
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, and then your pasta of choice and cook according to the packet instructions.
While your pasta is cooking, it’s time to make the tahini sauce.
In a food processor or blender add your tahini sesame paste.
Then juice your lemon, add the lemon juice to the food processor or blender and crush in fresh garlic cloves (you can substitute with garlic powder if you don’t have garlic cloves).
Next blitz the mixture and slowly, little by little, add in water, you may not need it all, just add enough to get to your desired consistency, it should be nice, smooth, and creamy.
Once you’ve made your tahini sauce, set it aside and heat a frying pan (large skillet) over medium heat.
Add olive oil (or vegetable broth) and then add your vegan bacon pieces, stir and cook for 1 minute, then add your red pepper, stir and cook for 1 minute.
Next, add your mushrooms to the pan, cook for 4 minutes stirring occasionally and then add the creamy tahini sauce and season with salt and black pepper.
Add in your peas and give the ingredients a good stir to make sure that all of the vegetables are covered, continue to cook until the vegetables are cooked.
When the pasta is cooked (you want it al dente), add it to the pan. You don’t need to drain the pasta, just add the pasta directly, it’s not a bad thing to get a little of the pasta water in the pan as it helps the creamy tahini sauce stick to your pasta.
Toss the pasta to ensure that it’s evenly incorporated into this delicious dish and then serve.
Lastly is the garnishing, we used black sesame seeds but you could garnish with fresh herbs such as fresh basil.
We hope you love our simple tahini pasta recipe as much as we do!
Give the recipe a try and please leave your feedback as we’d really love to know how you enjoyed it.
More spaghetti recipes for you to try
If you like our tahini pasta, then you’ll love these spaghetti dishes; cacio e pepe, pesto pasta, spaghetti aglio e olio, lemon pasta, and spaghetti marinara.
Follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, for more tasty inspiration!
VEGAN TAHINI PASTA
Utensils
Ingredients
- 18 oz Mixed mushrooms
- 1 Red bell pepper
- 2½ g Frozen peas
- 2½ g Tahini
- 1 Lemon
- 3 Cloves of garlic
- ½ cup Water
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 6 oz Vegan bacon pieces
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Black sesame seeds optional
- 17 oz Linguini or pasta of your choice
Instructions
- First, you'll need to prepare your vegetables
- Roughly chop your mushrooms into chunky slices. We used a mixture of mushrooms that have a good umami meaty taste, oyster, shitake and forestiere mushrooms, but you can use whatever you prefer
- Next, take one red pepper (bell pepper), deseed and slice it into long thin slices
- Weigh out your frozen peas
- Then it's time to cook your pasta. In a large pot, bring water to the boil, add salt and then your pasta of choice and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. We chose linguini and it was delicious
- While your pasta is cooking, it's time to make the tahini sauce
- In a food processor or blender add your tahini
- Then juice your lemon and add the lemon juice to the food processor or blender and crush in 3 fresh garlic cloves (you can substitute with garlic powder if you don't have garlic cloves)
- Next, blitz the mixture and slowly, little by little, add in your water, you may not need it all, just add enough to get to your desired consistency, it should be nice and smooth
- Once you've made your tahini sauce, set it aside and heat a frying pan over medium heat
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil and then add your vegan bacon pieces, stir and cook for 1 minute, then add your red pepper, stir and cook for 1 minute
- Next, add your mushrooms to the pan, cook for 4 minutes stirring occasionally and then add the creamy tahini sauce and season with salt and black pepper
- Add in your peas and give the ingredients a good stir to make sure that all of the vegetables are covered, continue to cook until the vegetables are cooked
- When the pasta is cooked (you want it al dente), add it to the pan. You don't need to drain it, just add the pasta directly, it's not a bad thing to get a little of the pasta water in the pan as it helps the tahini sauce stick to your pasta
- Toss the pasta to ensure that it's evenly incorporated into this delicious creamy sauce and then serve
- Dish up into bowls or on plates
- Lastly, garnish with black sesame seeds
- Plant-tastic! Enjoy your wonderful pasta dish!
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
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